Language and Learning in the International University

From English Uniformity to Diversity and Hybridity

Edited by Bent Preisler, Ida Klitgård, Anne Fabricius

Publication date:

18 July 2011

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

210x148mm
6x8"

ISBN-13: 9781847694140

This book views the international university as a microcosm of a world where internationalization does not equate with across-the-board use of English, but rather with the practice of linguistic and cultural diversity, even in the face of Anglophone dominance. The globalization-localization continuum manifests itself in every university trying to adopt internationalization strategies. The many cases of language and learning issues presented in this book, from universities representing different parts of the world, are all manifestations of a multidimensional space encompassing local vs. global, diversification vs. Anglicization. The internationalization of universities represents a new cultural and linguistic hybridity with the potential to develop new forms of identities unfettered by traditional 'us-and-them' binary thinking, and a new open-mindedness about the roles of self and others, resulting in new patterns of communicative (educational and social) practices.

Internationalization in higher education increasingly involves not only mobility toward the English inner circle, but also among the outer- and expanding-circle countries. This volume makes an important contribution toward answering the questions about language, ideology and intercultural contact which this trend raises. The twelve chapters examine salient issues across varied geographical contexts from a range of analytical perspectives. This book will be of interest to educators grappling with the complex implications of internationalization.